I have read some horribly written books with great plots. I have read some horrible plots that were exquisitely written (the language/craft) books. This book was a disjointed weird plot that was sort of okayishly written.

I sound really harsh, and it's probably because I really, really wanted to like this book. A Jewish Da Vinci Codes sorta book. Sounded ultra cool to me, but this book is nowhere near the Da Vinci code. Nowhere near.

It's about Nathan. A computer programmer, independently wealthy and yet he still works for Google. Well, except during the course of the novel, I mean, even at Google they really let you just not do any work for weeks on end, where do I sign up. He meets a young lady named Sophia. I couldn't tell if it was love at first sight or if they even liked each other at the end of the book. Mostly because Nathan's character seems like an utter douche, and Sophia seems like she doesn't have any emotions at all. I also never really got a feel for how old they were supposed to be, and the banter (as well as the 'relationship') seemed horribly forced through the entire book. Which, ironically is the one thing it has in common with The Da Vinci Code in that both books the smart handsome debonair guys relationships with the different and arty and mysterious' lady friends seemed forced.

The narrative was so choppy. Go somewhere, find clue, next somewhere else, another clue. There was very little connective tissue, that held the story together, that made me care about (or even like) the characters. The cloak and dagger stuff was also overdone, and it just didn't read as if it could have ever been real. A lot of the story just didn't feel real. There were too many stereotypes and not enough reality. A story should be fiction but grounded in reality. This novel wasn't grounded at all. ( )

Overall I really enjoyed the novel and it has a Dan brown feel about it. The characters were well thought out and all had a purpose within the novel. I was hooked from the first page and could not put this book down for anything.

The actual story within the book is only 200 pages long, The rest of the book contains essays by various authors on Bible codes and Torah codes. This section should not be missed it was really enjoyable and some interesting points were raised. The appendix should not be missed either it was enjoyable and should not be skipped.

The author is donating a portion of the book sales to the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Schools. A good book and helping a good cause is a winning combination!

For more information on the author and his book, visit his website at: The Torah Codes

A copy of this book was received for free and all opinions are my own through reading this book.

This review was first published on http://everybookhasasoul.wordpress.com ( )

This was described to me as sort of a Jewish Da Vinci Code and, truth be told, that was enough to get me interested. Nathan discovers that his landlord is spying on him, his name (and several other things) are encoded in a certain book of the Torah, and several people are after him for some weird and vaguely religious reason. Okay, so maybe my synopsis isn’t a good sell, but the fact is that I plowed through this book in record time. Nathan is likable and often very funny, and the action kept me turning the pages. Do I believe prophecy is encoded in the Torah? Doesn’t matter. It was fun and crazy and I look forward to Barany’s next thriller.

Confession time: I did not read the essays in the appendix. I hear they’re quite good and well worth reading, but I was just in it for the story, not the religious speculation. ( )